Hikari no Tsuki
by SK Dark Dragon
Summary: With a legendary light being trailed by some very odd demons, Yusuke and his gang travel to the demon world in an attempt to stop them, only to get caught up in a tournament, danger, and a lot of battles! What chaos will ensue from this case? -Read and R!
1. Chapter One: The Light

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Hikari no Tsuki**  
  
Notes: Aside from the villains, there will be no OC characters in this story. There will be no yaoi or yuri or whatever the heck you want to call it. This story is rated PG-13 because I go by the uncut YYH DVDs, which are rated 13 and up. (Mainly for language and violence) This fanfic will not contain spoilers beyond where the English DVDs are. I do not own YYH in any way, shape or form. I do own the story though. I try to keep everyone as in-character as possible.  
  
If you read, PLEASE review, unless you're going to e-mail me personally with your comments. I like feedback.  
  
Now, on with the fic!

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**Chapter One: The Light**  
  
It was said that the Light was so powerful it could burn through anything. The corrosiveness of it was so intense that there was hardly a substance that couldn't be destroyed by its glare.  
  
A brave group of warriors used combined energies and magic to capture it, shielded from its powerful rays. It was the hidden far away, deep beneath the surfaces of the Demon World, to never be used or discovered again, for if in the wrong hands, the Hikari no Tsuki would become the ultimate weapon...

* * *

Koenma sighed, stretching out at his desk as he tied a napkin around his neck so not to get anything on his blue outfit during dinner. Things had been rather quiet around the office the past few days, not that the pint-sized ruler minded. After all, if he just took a few hours to stamp his paperwork, the rest of the time he could be left to his own devices.  
  
"Yo, Ogre!" Koenma called, glaring down at his sloppy desk. "I can't find the remote under all this stuff!"  
  
Impatiently, the toddler drummed his fingers on hardwood surface of the desk as he waited for his bumbling bodyguard to come running in, most likely tripping over the new doorstop.  
  
A few seconds ticked by, during which time Koenma became even more impatient. Finally, practically sizzling, the tiny ruler stood up on his chair, his eyes squeezed shut in irritation.  
  
"OGRE!!" he yelled, just as the blue creature opened the door with a bang, causing the room to shake and sending Koenma toppling to the floor.  
  
"Koenma sir!" The ogre shouted, blinking as he realized that the prince of Spirit World was nowhere in sight. "Er...Koenma?" he blinked.  
  
There was an impatient hiss as Koenma pulled himself back up into his chair, his hat lopsided and his face red with anger.  
  
"Ogre..." he hissed, twitching. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with you."  
  
The blue ogre sweatdropped, feeling embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"I'm sorry, Koenma sir, but this just came in," he explained, showing Koenma a few sheets of paper that he'd been clutching. "Several demons from the Most-Wanted list have seemingly formed a group out in the mountains of Demon World..."  
  
Koenma sizzled.  
  
"Well GOOD!" he shouted, snatching the papers away. "Then let them STAY there and leave me alone!"  
  
The ogre sighed.  
  
"Read the report, Koenma sir," he explained, pointing to the top. "Apparently some valuable and quite dangerous weapon was hidden away in those mountains years ago."  
  
Koenma blinked, scanning the front page with mild interest until he ran across on sentence in the third paragraph. The ruler paled, gulping and flopping back in his chair looking depressed.  
  
"The Hikari no Tsuki..." he mumbled, his shoulders sagging.  
  
The ogre blinked.  
  
"Hikari no Tsuki?" he repeated, looking confused. "It sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't place my finger on it."  
  
Koenma sighed.  
  
"You probably heard it in fairy tales or something," he replied, looking worried. "But it's a real thing. It's a powerful light...or stone that emits light, I forget, and that light is so powerful that when harness with demonic energy or spirit energy, it becomes a corrosive and near invincible weapon."  
  
The ogre gulped, looking terrified.  
  
"Corrosive?" he pressed.  
  
Koenma nodded.  
  
"Yeah..." he replied, looking around his office. "Just imagine the toughest steel wall. It can break through that with just a glare of its light energy. Think of everything they could destroy and take with that kind of power."  
  
The ogre's eyes widened even more as the door opened again, and the blue-haired Botan walked into the room, waving her baggy pink sleeves around, a big smile on her face.  
  
"Hello, Koenma!" she said brightly, looking around at the ogre and Koenma's glum faces. "Er...is something the matter?"  
  
Koenma glared at her.  
  
"Yes something's the matter!" he shot back. "The most wanted demons in all of Spirit World are after the Hikari no Tsuki!"  
  
Botan's smile faded.  
  
"They're actually trying to take the light?" she asked, blinking in surprise. "But no one's ever tried to do that before. Not since it was sealed away."  
  
Koenma drummed his fingers on his desk, glaring up at Botan.  
  
"Well they are now," he replied impatiently. "And unless we DO something about that, I have a feeling that all of demon AND human world are going to be in BIG trouble."  
  
Botan nodded, looking horrified.  
  
"Yes sir!" she replied, putting her hand to her forehead in a salute. "But what can we do?" she asked, her purple eyes wide and worried.  
  
Koenma shrugged.  
  
"What else? Call in Yusuke and have him go stop them before they reach the light," he replied. "Can I trust you to round him up?"  
  
Botan nodded, hurrying out the door. Koenma sighed, looking down at the ground.  
  
"This is not good..." he mumbled.

* * *

Yusuke Urameshi yawned, leaning back in his chair, his feet up on his desk. He was sitting in the back of the room, as he always did so that the teachers wouldn't notice that he wasn't paying a bit of attention. If Keiko didn't make him come, and if his mom didn't call the school to make sure he was there, he wouldn't bother showing up at all.  
  
"And so, for your homework, write a two page essay on the book that we just finished reading," The teacher in the front of the classroom lectured as the school bell rang.  
  
Yusuke yawned, standing up and walking toward the door. He was almost out the door and into the bustling hallway when a voice called back to him from the room.  
  
"Hey, Yusuke!"  
  
Yusuke turned around, raising an eyebrow as brown-haired Keiko Yukimura came running up to him, her bag under her arm, another bag in her right hand, and her left hand supporting a blue bird-like creature.  
  
"_Puu_!" The little bird-creature squeaked, Keiko smiling at it happily.  
  
"What is it, Keiko?" The black-haired boy asked, bored.  
  
"You forgot your bag, for one thing," she replied, handing it to the boy, who reluctantly took it from her. "And you forgot Puu!"  
  
"_Puu_!" Puu squeaked again, waving its small blue arms around.  
  
Yusuke growled.  
  
"Stop yapping in public!" Yusuke ordered his spirit beast, who looked sadly up at him. "People aren't supposed to know you're alive."  
  
Keiko sighed, the room now completely empty, with the exception of the teacher who'd gone off to the back room to get out supplies for his next class.  
  
"You should still keep him with you," she advised. "He IS yours."  
  
Yusuke grumbled as Puu flew up to his shoulder and landed on it, looking quite pleased with itself.  
  
"_Puu_!" It squeaked as the two middle-school students walked out into the empty hallway.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke muttered, feeling a bit irked at being back to regular life.  
  
Fighting demons and worrying about how to use his powers next seemed a lot more fun and exciting now than algebra and worrying about how to keep his teachers off his case, not to mention Keiko to quit nagging at him.  
  
"Well, so what are you doing after school?" Keiko asked, smiling at Yusuke, who shoved his hands into his pockets.  
  
"I don't know," he replied in a monotone.  
  
"I do!" Came a bubbly voice from behind him.  
  
Keiko and Yusuke both turned around to come face to face with Botan, clad in a blue girl's uniform just like Keiko, with a yellow bandana around her collar. She was clutching an envelope in her hands.  
  
"Great, you're here to nag at me to do some other stupid Spirit World mission, aren't you?" Yusuke grumbled.  
  
Botan giggled and shoved the envelope into his hands.  
  
"No," she replied. "I was just instructed to give that to you," Botan said sincerely with a wink as she backed up, her blue hair flapping back and forth. "Nice to see you again Keiko, but I must be going! Bye bye!"  
  
With that, the blue-haired ferry-woman vanished. Yusuke looked down at the envelope curiously.  
  
"What the hell was that all about?" he muttered, turning it over, seeing that it was completely blank on all sides. "It's not my birthday, is it?"  
  
Keiko looked worriedly down at the envelope in her friend's hands.  
  
"Yusuke, it might be another dangerous tournament invitation," she whispered, looking very concerned. "But you just got back from the last one! You can't go off to another one! In fact, I don't think you EVER should go back to another one of those..."  
  
Yusuke waved his hand casually, shoving the letting into pocket as he cut Keiko off in mid-sentence.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Keiko," he said cockily. "Whatever it was, I'm not going to read it. So I won't do anything dangerous. Happy?"  
  
Keiko nodded, but didn't smile as she walked after her friend, who was starting down the hallway.  
  
"I guess..." she murmured, looking down at the ground as she walked.

* * *

Across town, Botan flew by on her brown, trusty oar, holding three more letters in her hand.  
  
"I hope that Yusuke reads it," she muttered to herself, stopping at a modest home and slipping one of the letters into the gutter, where it slipped down the drain and down to the catch at the bottom. "And the others too."  
  
After delivering the remainder of her letters to the respective house, the ferry-girl flew back toward Spirit World, her mission, for now, accomplished.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
Shuichi Minamino bent down and picked up a letter on the porch of his house, his red hair flying in the chilly evening wind. It was almost dark, as it nearly always was when he returned home from school, and it was curious to find any piece of the mail on the doorstep.  
  
"Maybe she dropped this," he murmured, looking it over, wondering if it had slipped out of the stack when his mother had been collecting the mail. "But..."  
  
He paused, narrowing his green eyes at the envelope.  
  
"It doesn't seem to be written by a human," he murmured, tearing into the letter carefully, unsure.  
  
He scanned the page quickly, his eyes growing darker as he read on. Then, he looked out into the night with a sigh.  
  
"This is indeed not a good sign," he murmured to himself.

* * *

A young woman with brown hair slid the screen door to the backyard open and stepped outside into the night, closing it behind her. She pulled a black lighter with a few initials marked on it out of her pocket and lit a cigarette, watching the smoke rise into the heavy night air.  
  
"This is a strange night," she murmured, looking out at the small backyard.  
  
She could see the neighbor's lights on next door, and her younger brother's cat roaming around the backyard. Shizuru Kuwabara didn't really have a fondness for cats, but she knew her brother loved them, so she never complained. So long as they kept out of her stuff, she was fine with them.  
  
As she sighed, turning to walk back inside, she looked down, noticing a white envelope on the porch.  
  
"Funny," she murmured, picking it up. "Just where I thought she'd leave it. I wonder what Spirit World has in mind for my baby-brother now..."

* * *

In a far away place, a small, dark-haired demon picked up a similar white envelope, looking even more displeased about its arrival than any of the other recipients. He sliced open the top of the envelope neatly and then pulled out the letter.  
  
"Heh, already in need of help," he muttered, looking up at the sky after he finished scanning the letter. "But..."  
  
The demon vanished in a blur of black, taking the letter with him. The envelope fell to the ground, having been left behind.

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**Review please!**  
  
More will be explained next chapter, of course. And next chapter up soon! 


	2. Chapter Two: The Portal

**Chapter Two: The Portal**  
  
Notes: Sorry for the gap of time in between update. Been busy. But! I am back with chapter two, nevertheless. Thank you all for reviewing! I'll try to get back into a better regime with updates. Oh, and this fanfic is based on a RPG I started a few weeks ago. ! Must give credit to everyone who is helping me with ideas/plot stuff. So thank you! XD;  
  
And here is Chapter Two!

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**Chapter Two: The Portal**  
  
It was a windy evening as a tall, brown-haired teenager stood out in the middle of a field, his red cape flowing in the breeze as he looked around, anxiously awaiting the arrival of someone. Beside him, the blue-haired Botan, clutching her wooden oar, was waiting as well.  
  
"Come on, please say you read the letters," Koenma muttered through his pacifier shivering slightly in the wind. "I do not want to have to go storming through the city looking for you all."  
  
"Well then you're in luck, junior," Came a smooth voice from behind him, and Koenma turned sharply to see Shizuru, her long brown hair flying back in the wind, followed by her younger brother, orange-haired Kazuma Kuwabara. "Cause I did read that wacky letter Botan stuck on our doorstep."  
  
Koenma sighed, having been startled for a second and straightened up, making himself look taller and (hopefully) more important and professional.  
  
"Nice to see you could make it, Kuwabra," The brown-haired prince of Spirit World greeted the orange-haired boy. "And you're tagging along too, Shizuru?"  
  
Shizuru shrugged, pulling a cigarette out of her pocket.  
  
"Heck, why not?" she muttered, lighting it, the tiny flare illuminating her face in the dark twilight for a moment before it went out.  
  
Kuwabara grumbled, shoving both his hands into his pockets, looking around uneasily.  
  
"Mind explaining what this whole mysterious thing is?" he said in irritation to Koenma who sighed.  
  
"I'll explain soon enough, don't worry," he muttered in reply, his brown bangs flapping up in the wind. "Just as soon as everyone gets here."  
  
"Well then, that hopefully won't be too long," Came a calm voice, and all four of the people present turned to see the red-haired Kurama walking toward, them, a small smile on his face. "I sense something is amiss, am I not correct?" he asked Koenma, who shrunk down a bit, looking worried.  
  
"Er…sort of," he replied, looking around as there was a rustle of dry leaves on the ground coming from the woods nearby.  
  
Everyone quickly turned and looked over at the woods, anxious, as a young girl with mint-green hair walked out of the woods, looking around uneasily. Kurama sighed with relief as Kuwabara's eyes lit up.  
  
"Yukina!" he cried, running over to small ice apparition, grinning like a madman. "You're here too??"  
  
Yukina smiled softly, still not quite used to Kuwabara's strange behavior around her.  
  
"Yes, Koenma said it was important that I should join you on your next mission," she replied kindly, smiling up at him. "I have been working on my healing tactics. They are much stronger than they were before, so I hope I can be of some use."  
  
Koenma smiled gratefully.  
  
"I'm sure they will be," he muttered, Kuwabara suddenly looking much less thrilled than he had been a few moments before.  
  
"What new mission?!" he yelled, turning around and glaring at Koenma, who held up his hands in a defensive manner.  
  
"Let's wait until everyone gets here and then I'll explain!" he repeated forcefully, Kuwabara looking quite angry.  
  
Botan sighed.  
  
"Let's hope everyone gets here soon or you really will be needing Yukina's healing powers," she muttered to herself, Koenma gulping as Kurama chuckled good-humouredly.  
  
"This had better be good," Came a dark voice from the shadows as someone small and agile leapt down from a tree. "For bothering me with that letter meant to drag me out to this human city."  
  
Kurama smiled, shaking his head at the dark figure.  
  
"Come now, Hiei," he replied to the newcomer. "I'm sure you couldn't possibly have been that busy."  
  
Hiei narrowed his eyes, shrugging as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dark robe. Koenma looked around at the group, counting heads.  
  
"Okay…all we're missing is the Spirit Detective himself and Genkai," he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Figures. I should probably guess Yusuke didn't even READ that letter."  
  
"Heh, pretty good hunch," Came a raspy voice, and the whole group turned to the right to see a small, old woman walking toward them, a rather reluctant Yusuke following behind her, one hand in his worn jeans' pocket, and the other behind his head.  
  
"Come ON, Koenma," Yusuke muttered grumpily. "Next time you want to say something, come to me in person. Don't just send Botan to give me a Birthday Card in the middle of the school hallway."  
  
Botan scrunched up her nose in anger.  
  
"It was an important letter detailing your new case!" she snapped back, pointing an accusing finger at him. "And if Genkai's statement is anything to go by, I bet you didn't read it anyway!"  
  
Yusuke sweated.  
  
"Well, no, but…" he started but Genkai snickered.  
  
"There's the answer to your question," she replied breezily. "Anyway, what's this all about, Koenma?"  
  
"Yeah!" Yusuke put in, glaring at the teen. "What the hell was so important that you had to drag us out to the park in the middle of the night?"  
  
Koenma sighed, knowing everyone's eyes were on him.  
  
"Okay, guess it's time I explained myself," he muttered, the wind blowing by again, ruffling his cape. "I suppose you all know what the Hikari no Tsuki is, don't you?" he asked, looking around.  
  
Kuwabara blinked and Shizuru shrugged, smoking rising from her lit cigarette. Yusuke scratched his head, starting to get irritated.  
  
"Light of Moon?" he asked, shrugging. "No idea. Try taking up stargazing."  
  
"Shut it, Yusuke!" Koenma snapped back, the back of his neck turning red. "This isn't some joke."  
  
Kurama's eyes widened as he looked over at Koenma seriously.  
  
"The Hikari no Tsuki?" he asked, titling his head to the side, his red hair blowing wildly in the wind. "That's a legendary energy source, isn't it?"  
  
Hiei eyed Koenma, more interested now that the legendary light had been mentioned. What did it have to do with this new case?  
  
Koenma nodded solemnly.  
  
"Yes, in a way," he muttered, looking down at the ground. "It was a powerful light that when harnessed with Spirit or Demonic energy, would produce an energy source capable of burning through relatively anything."  
  
Yukina shivered.  
  
"Is someone using it?" she inquired softly.  
  
Koenma shook his head with a sigh.  
  
"Thankfully, no," he muttered. "Not yet, at least."  
  
Yusuke growled, kicking a pebble toward Kuwabara and Shizuru.  
  
"Then what's the point?" he asked. "I didn't come all the way out here to take a lesson on strange things."  
  
Koenma narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Someone is trying to steal it and harness it once more," he replied darkly. "The Hikari no Tsuki was buried deep under a mountain in Demon World when we realized what a threat it could become when used. Ever since, it hasn't been a problem. Until now."  
  
Hiei huffed.  
  
"Who would be foolish enough to try to steal it when all of Spirit World would be breathing down their necks?" he asked pointedly.  
  
Koenma shrugged, looking worried still.   
  
"A couple of demons from the Most-Wanted list," he replied. "I don't know much about them. They haven't had any recent criminal activity for the past year or so, but now several watch-dogs positioned in the Demon World have reported them sneaking around the mountain where it's hidden, and one even overheard a conversation between them, plotting out the quest."  
  
Yusuke frowned, digging his shoe deeper into the red-clay dirt.  
  
"Damn it," he muttered. "Every second someone else is trying to take someone they shouldn't. What do you want us to do about it Mr. Know-It-All?"  
  
Koenma glared back at Yusuke, a small spark of light appearing in front of him, like a white flame on the field.  
  
"What we are going to do, Spirit Detective, is track down these demons before they reach the Hikari no Tsuki," he replied. "We're taking a secret tunnel to Demon World now."  
  
Kuwabara gulped as the white flame expanded, the orange-haired boy nearly tripping over Yukina, who had been standing next to him.  
  
"Why don't we just let them find it for us and then we'll battle them?" he asked, sweat dropping as a loud roar from the flames filled the air, wind rushing by them.  
  
"Because!" Koenma yelled back. "The Hikari no Tsuki, when harnessed, is nearly unstoppable! And if it can cut through anything, what do you think the first thing is they're going to burn through?!"  
  
Kurama's green eyes widened as his jaw dropped.  
  
"The barrier between the two worlds!" he cried, Koenma nodded, his cape flying behind him in the wind.  
  
"Precisely!" he yelled back. "Now get in before the portal closes up! I can only keep it open for approximately three and a half minutes."  
  
With that, the prince of Spirit World jumped into the white flames, disappearing from the field. Botan gave the others a stern look as she clutched her oar tightly.  
  
"You heard the man," she called, jumping in herself. "Come on!"  
  
Kurama looked over at Hiei, who looked mildly interested.  
  
"Are you coming?" he asked the black-haired demon, who shrugged.  
  
"Might as well," Hiei replied darkly, walking toward the white flames. "If I'm lucky, I may even get to see this legendary light."  
  
Kurama sighed as he followed his friend, both disappearing into the rushing white flames. Kuwabara gulped as Genkai followed.  
  
"Hurry it up, dimwit!" she shouted back at Yusuke before she vanished. "You've got less than a minute!"  
  
Yusuke gulped, looking at Kuwabara and Shizuru.  
  
"Should we go?" Kuwabara muttered, looking down at the white flames with uncertainty.  
  
Shizuru grinned, flicking her cigarette down on the ground and stepping on it once before walking smoothly toward the flames.  
  
"Why not?" she muttered casually. "Probably a lot more fun than lounging around the house all weekend."  
  
Yukina smiled nervously up at Kuwabara, her mint-green ponytails flying back in the wind.  
  
"Guess I'll see you in a minute, Kazuma," she called, walking right into the white flames as well, disappearing as Kuwabara gaped.  
  
"If Yukina is going, so will I!" he declared boldly, pumping his fists. "A real man looks after his girl!"  
  
Yusuke sweat dropped as Kuwabara jumped into the portal that was now started to decrease in size. Looking around, the Spirit Detective sighed, stepping toward it.  
  
"Damn it, I always get pushed into these things," he muttered, leaping into the flames. "Look out below, Demon World!" Yusuke yelled, his black bangs flying up as he vanished into the white whirl of flames.

* * *

A few feet away, a brown-haired girl huffed, running up a hill near the field, sweat dripping down her cheeks. She looked up at the blue bird she'd been following, who was flying at full-speed toward the quickly fading flames.  
  
"Puu, wait up!" Keiko cried nervously, looking down at the flames in the field. "Yusuke's not down there…is he?"  
  
"Puuuu!" Puu cried, flapping its wings and pulling on Keiko's sleeve, tugging her toward the flames.  
  
Keiko gulped, her brown haired flying back behind her, bits of dirt and dust flying into her face as she neared the area where the portal was.  
  
"Do you…think he went into this…white thing?" she asked, looking up at the bird-like Spirit Beast.  
  
Puu nodded diligently, pulling the girl into the flames, where she instantly began to fall.  
  
"Whoa!" she cried, hugging Puu tightly to her chest as she fell through a whirl of whiteness and light, squeezing her eyes shut. "What have I gotten myself into?" Keiko cried, her heart pounding as the entrance to the portal above her closed, and she continued to fall toward the Demon World.

* * *

**End of Chapter Two**  
  
REVIEW PLEASE!  
  
Thank you! And next chapter up sometime this week, I hope. 


	3. Chapter Three: Enter the World

**Chapter Three: Enter the World**  
  
Notes: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I appreciate it. Hope you're enjoying everything so far.  
  
Next chapter up, now!

* * *

**Chapter Three: The World**  
  
There was a flash of white light nearly five feet off the ground and then the huge portal opened itself up, everyone who had entered falling below and crashing into the rock-hard dirt ground.  
  
"Ow..." Yusuke muttered, shoving Kuwabara off of his chest. "Get off me, Kuwabara!"  
  
Kuwabara groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head.  
  
"Not my fault," he grumbled, looking around.  
  
Hiei had landed a few feet away from the gang, on his feet, as usual. Yukina and Botan had both landed on top of Kurama and were apologizing as they helped the fox demon to his feet. Koenma and Shizuru were both picking themselves up as well, Shizuru looking around with mild interest.  
  
"Well, I can't say it looks much better than home," she muttered, pulling a cigarette out of her shirt pocket.  
  
"Heh, for me it is home," Hiei muttered, almost inaudibly.  
  
Yukina looked around, a wary expression on her face.  
  
"I usually keep to the ice world," she murmured. "This place is so barren and lonely compared to it."  
  
It was true. All around them was nothing but rocks, dirt, and brown mountains that seemed to stretch on forever. Caves and small openings littered the mountain's rough edges and as far as the eye could see, there was nothing in the distance.  
  
"And here I was hoping for a good fast-food place," Yusuke grumbled, standing up and brushing dirt off his white T-shirt.  
  
Hiei folded his arms across his chest.  
  
"Watch yourself or you'll end UP fast-food," he advised the Spirit Detective, who glared back.  
  
Koenma nodded in agreement.  
  
"That's true, Yusuke," The prince of Spirit World declared. "This place is nothing like home on Earth. Watch it and keep the goof-offs to a minimum."  
  
There was suddenly a shrill yell from above, and Shizuru looked up just in time to see a brown-haired schoolgirl falling down toward her. Stepping backward instinctively, she held out her arms and neatly caught Keiko without even staggering.  
  
Keiko blinked, looking terrified from the fall. Puu floated down out of the portal too, before it vanished, leaving everyone stranded in the demonic realm. Yusuke gaped as Shizuru set Keiko down on her feet again.  
  
"K...Keiko?!" he cried, his eyes wide. "Wha...what are you doing here?!"  
  
Keiko shook her head once to get rid of the stun that still remained from the jump and fall, and then narrowed her eyes at Yusuke.  
  
"I'm here, wherever here may be, because Puu led me to this big flaming portal thing and jumped in, so I figured you were here," she said quickly, jabbing an accusing finger at Yusuke. "And knowing you, you were probably off on that mission that was in that letter that you promised you weren't going to read."  
  
Yusuke scowled, glaring over at Genkai, who snickered.  
  
"Well, maybe having this girl around will give you some incentive," The older woman said, grinning. "At least you can't make some bone-headed move now, because you'll be putting her life in danger too."  
  
Kurama sighed, not liking the way that sounded. Yusuke scowled again, clenching his fists at his side.  
  
"Okay, whatever," he yelled back. "Let's just track these bums down, kick their asses, and go back home."  
  
Kuwabara grinned, punching one fist into the palm of his other hand.  
  
"Yeah!" he agreed, a determined smile on his face. "I mean, you and I both beat the Toguro brothers. Anyone else should be a piece of cake, right?"  
  
Yusuke nodded eagerly, Genkai shaking her head sadly.  
  
"You boys are such dimwits, you know that?" she said coarsely, Yusuke and Kuwabara both halting in their victory dreams and looking down at the short woman. "Do you honestly think that just any old demons would go in search of one of the most legendary powers of Spirit World WITHOUT being sure of their powers?"  
  
Yusuke and Kuwabara both stared.  
  
"The answer is, Yusuke, no, they wouldn't," Koenma shot back, his pacifier bouncing up and down as he spoke, despite the fact that he was in his teenage form. "So just stay alert, okay?"  
  
Yusuke could feel his patience thinning. He shoved his hands into his pockets, grumbling under his breath.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he muttered as Koenma looked around.  
  
"You know, it's a good thing we have you and Shizuru here, Kuwabara," he commented, looking at all the caves and caverns leading into the mountains. "See if you can't use your sixth senses to figure out which cave will lead us to the demons we're after."  
  
Shizuru smiled, smoke rising from her cigarette.  
  
"Okay," she muttered, tossing it behind her and looking at the caves in front of her.  
  
Kuwabara glanced from side to side, carefully examining the aura within each cavern. Everyone watched the two with bated breath for a few moments, and then Shizuru glanced over to the right.  
  
"You feeling that, Kazuma?" The brown-haired girl asked quietly, her eyes fixated on one entrance to her right.  
  
The orange-haired boy nodded, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, there's a heck of a lot of energy pulsating from that one on the right," he mumbled, Shizuru smiling slightly.  
  
"Well, if I know anything about demons and these missions," she said holding her cigarette out in front of her, letting the ashes fall. "Then we're probably after the ones with the most energy."  
  
Koenma smiled, relieved that they'd found the right door.  
  
"Yes, that'd probably be the best guess," he muttered, walking toward the cave after the others.  
  
Botan shivered, pulling out her oar and holding it next to her like a weapon. Koenma raised an eyebrow at the blue-haired assistant.  
  
"Botan...do I have to ask what you're doing?" he asked, sweatdropping.  
  
Botan giggled nervously.  
  
"I'm just...taking precautions, that's all," she replied with a smile.  
  
Hiei looked around sensing something strange.  
  
"It's not as if the demons down this way seem to have a lot of power..." he thought to himself, narrowing his amber eyes. "But more as though there are many demons, all of their energies seeming to feel tremendous."  
  
The fire apparition raised an eyebrow at the entrance.  
  
"This could be more difficult than you think, Koenma."

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the caves somewhere in the mountain, a long, dark-haired man walked through the tunnels, a smile on his face. The man took a turn down a darker path and continued on for some time, his serene look of confidence never leaving his face.  
  
After several minutes, he ducked down and entered into a low-ceilinged room, where two other men were waiting. The room was illuminated slightly, though not by any lantern or flashlight. It was as if the very walls themselves were glowing, making the room light enough to see.  
  
"Ah, Marok, Tetsui," The man with the dark hair said with a smile. "So, you've really found it."  
  
Marok nodded, his spiky blonde hair bouncing as he did so. He had a strange, almost green-tinged skin and long legs.  
  
"Yeah, we did, Kuayo" he replied, crossing his legs as he sat down on a pile of rocks. "The light is definitely somewhere nearby. Its radiance shines through the solid layers of rock in this cavern to make them glow, as if they were night lights."  
  
Kuayo smirked.  
  
"A little bit of mining..." he murmured, closing his eyes and letting his skin soak up the glow from the rocks. "...and the Hikari no Tsuki is ours."

* * *

A few moments later, the ragtag Spirit Detective team was walking through the dreary cave, water dripping off the ceilings in the distance and rocks and broken pieces of what looked as though could have been a building at some point strewn about, making travel difficult.  
  
Shizuru glanced around, narrowing her eyes.  
  
"I can see why Spirit World hid away that light down here," she muttered, brushing a very sticky cobweb out of her way before continuing. "Who'd even want to go exploring in a place like this?"  
  
"Power-hungry demons," Hiei replied flatly, hoping over a large piece of broken rock.  
  
Kurama narrowed his eyes as Kuwabara summoned his Spirit Sword and sliced through a large bit of rock in front of the ground.  
  
"Great move, Kuwabara!" Botan cheered. "What a pain in the neck it'd be to get over it."  
  
"Hush," Kurama advised, narrowing his green eyes seriously. "This may be a mountain in the Demon World, but is a mountain nonetheless. The slightest jar in the rocks or shrill noise could cause a cave in, just as it would in the human world."  
  
Botan gulped, clamping her hand over her mouth.  
  
"So unless you want to be squished flat," Hiei concluded, walking past her. "I'd keep my mouth shut."  
  
Botan nodded rigorously as she walked slowly after the group. Keiko shivered, looking around at the walls.  
  
"This place is so weird," she murmured, looking down at the ground, where a luminous plant was growing. "What kind of plant glows?"  
  
Kurama smiled, holding up a bright yellow seed.  
  
"These kinds," he replied, throwing down another seed, another glowing plant sprouting from it. "It's a very handy plant when it comes to caves and dark places."  
  
Yusuke grinned, putting a hand on Kurama's shoulder.  
  
"Now why do they never show this kind of stuff in Better Homes and Gardens?" he asked, smirking.  
  
Suddenly, the entire cave began to shake, and bits of rock from the walls began to crumble. Stepping away from the left side of the room, Genkai narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Looks like we're about to have company," she muttered gruffly, raising her hands in a stance. "Be prepared."  
  
Shizuru raised her eyebrows as the whole wall began to collapse in front of them, unveiling a gigantic, green-skinned demon, who didn't look too happy to see a group of humans and demons in the hallway.

* * *

**End of Chapter Three**  
  
REVIEW!  
  
And next chapter up sometime in the coming week. 


	4. Chapter Four: Unexpected Turns

**Chapter Four: Unexpected Turns  
**  
Notes: Back again for Chapter Four! The story is coming along nicely, I think. Thanks for reading/reviewing, and if you haven't been reviewing...well, dang. How am I supposed to know you're reading the story?!  
  
LOL Here we go!

* * *

**Chapter Four: Unexpected Turns**  
  
Yukina gasped and stumbled backwards, tripping over a loose stone. Kurama reached out and caught the ice apparition before she fell, his eyes narrowing at the large, green-skinned demon that had just approached them.  
  
Hiei clutched the handle of sword. Had this demon been sent as a guard-dog, to protect this area from intruders? If so, it would be an easy task to take him down. He had no high energy so to speak of, and his height, compared to other opponents, was not so impressive.  
  
"Whoa!" Yusuke cried, skidding to a stop a few feet from the monstrous demon. "What the hell do you what?" The boy demanded, in a voice that seemed to suggest that THEY were the owners of the cave and that the demon was intruding.  
  
Keiko shivered, Puu nestling itself down in her arms, quivering.  
  
"Puu..." It squeaked nervously.  
  
"What have we here?" The green demon boomed, his voice causing some bits of loose rocks from the ceiling to detach and crumble to the floor. "A group of puny humans in this cave?"  
  
Hiei bristled.  
  
"Not everyone here is a human," he retorted icily, not wanting to be categorized with the likes of Kuwabara and Keiko.  
  
The green demon laughed, looking over Koenma and down at Hiei.  
  
"A group of puny humans and a runt of a demon," he corrected himself, laughing at his own insult.  
  
He was the only one that did, however. The rest just stared up at him, wondering whether to launch an attack, or wait for him to make the first move. Either way, battling was risky in the cave, where one wrong move could make the whole place collapse.  
  
"What do you want?" Koenma asked, as boldly as he could with his knees shaking from fright.  
  
The green demon raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Koenma? Prince of Spirit World?" he asked, grinning boldly. "Well, just as much as we figured. So, you found out about our little tournament, didn't you? And you sent in a team to quash it?"  
  
Koenma blinked, confused.  
  
"What tournament?" he demanded, all of the sudden forgetting that he was speaking with a giant demon.  
  
Yusuke sighed, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Listen, big guy," The black-haired detective said smoothly, walking in front of Koemna to speak to the demon. "We're just your friendly Spirit World hikers enjoying a trip in the mountains. You can go off and have your tournament."  
  
Koenma gaped.  
  
"What if it's illegal?!" he hissed, Shizuru smacking the brown-haired prince lightly.  
  
"We'll deal, okay?" she said in a commanding voice. "Do you want to keep your life?"  
  
Koenma sweatdropped.  
  
"Yeah, you can go on and have your little tournament!" he corrected himself. "WE don't care!"  
  
The green demon raised an eyebrow at Yusuke, who was glaring up at him with his brown eyes full of determination. Keiko gulped, clutching Botan's arm.  
  
"Don't make him mad, Yusuke," she whispered, not wanting anyone to get hurt, especially not Yusuke.  
  
"Yusuke?" The green demon repeated, breaking into a grin. "Yusuke Urameshi?! And his team? The winners of the notorious Dark Tournament?"  
  
Yusuke narrowed his eyes, not expecting this.  
  
"Yeah, none other," he replied casually. "But who the hell wants to know?"  
  
The green demon broke into a wild grin.  
  
"Just perfect!" he cried, his voice booming in the cave. "Perfect! You all can compete in our tournament as the guest champions!"  
  
Hiei raised an eyebrow as Yusuke gaped at the green beast.  
  
"What?!" he cried in disbelief.  
  
"No way!" Kuwabara burst in, before anyone had any time to consider the option. "We just got back from the Dark Tournament! We're not about to enter some other Death-Trap Tournament!"  
  
Kurama sighed.  
  
"Do we have a choice, Kuwabara?" he hissed, the orange-haired boy blinking.  
  
"Um..." Kuwabara began, but the green-skinned demon cut him off.  
  
"If you don't compete, I'm afraid you can't come any further in this mountain," he said sternly. "The center of the bottom has been carved out and made into a large tournament stadium, rooms for the players and all."  
  
Koenma bit his lip.  
  
"Okay, my team will compete," he declared, the green demon grinning proudly.  
  
"Wonderful!" he boomed, Yusuke blinking in shock.  
  
"WHAT?!" The black-haired boy cried, grabbing Koenma by the collar.  
  
"Leave me alone!" Koenma cried, cowering as Yusuke glared at him.  
  
"How can you just enter us into another life and death tournament while YOU don't have to do a damn thing?!" Yusuke hollered.  
  
"That is a bit unfair," Kurama agreed, sighing, tossing down a last seed, a luminous plant sprouting. "But we have no other option."  
  
The green demon grinned, waving his hand, gesturing for them to follow.  
  
"Come on now!" he called, walking through the dark cavern. "The arena's this way! Hehehe, come on, guests! You'll be fighting first round!"  
  
Hiei huffed, putting his sword away as he started after the others who were now following the large demon.  
  
"Dragged into another tournament," he grumbled. "Just my luck."  
  
Yusuke growled, shoving his hands into his pockets.  
  
"They're all just wannabe demons with stupid powers," he hissed through clenched teeth. "One Spirit Gun and they're all dead. We win. Yay for us. Dammit, what a waste of time..."  
  
Keiko sighed, letting the breath she'd been holding out in a long whistle. Another tournament? Things were just getting worse and worse...  
  
Kuwabara grinned, holding up a fist, flexing his muscles.  
  
"It's your lucky day, Yukina my sweet!" he declared, the amber-eyed ice apparition looking up at him in confusion. "You get to see Kuwabara in action on the field!"  
  
Yukina blinked and then chuckled slightly.  
  
"Oh yes, I'm sure you'll all do wonderfully," she replied with a small smile. "I just hope that the opponents will not be as difficult as the last tournament's were."  
  
Kuwabara grinned even more.  
  
"Even if they are, they're STILL no match for the Great Kuwabara!" he boasted, Genkai snickering.  
  
"Just focus on not getting killed, okay slugger?" she asked, grinning to herself as Kuwabara's dreams were shattered.  
  
"I won't get killed!!" he yelled back, closing his eyes in anger.  
  
Yusuke snorted.  
  
"Sure," he replied, walking past Kuwabara as well, Yukina's eyes widening.  
  
"Well, I certainly do not wish for you to be killed," she told the steaming boy, hoping to make him feel better. "If that means anything."  
  
Kuwabara did another 180 and his eyes turned starry once again as he grabbed Yukina's hands.  
  
"Oh it does!" he said in a gushy voice. "And I promise that I'll fight bravely and with honor and I won't..."  
  
"Ehem," The green demon coughed, glaring at Kuwabara and Yukina, both of whom were now alone in the cave, a bright light shining in from a door up ahead. "Could you two continue your conversation after the first match?"  
  
Yukina blushed, wishing Kuwabara would let her go.  
  
"Of course!" Kuwabara declared, pulling Yukina along after him as the two walked into the large and brightly lit room.  
  
All around them large bleachers had been cut out of the rock and the middle had been shaped into a large arena, quite similar to the type that were used for fighting in the Dark Tournament. Even more familiar was the feminine demon standing up on the arena, grinning at all the cheering fans in the crowded audience.  
  
"Isn't that..." Yusuke started, pointing out at the green-tailed girl, but was cut off by a squeal from the microphone.  
  
"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the first ever Underground Tournament, guaranteed to be even..." The woman began, reading her lines from a piece of paper she was holding in her other hand. "Bloodier and...more destructive than last year's Dark Tournament...?!"  
  
The girl blinked, looking horrified, her green ears twitching.  
  
"What the hell?!" she cried, quivering. "Hopefully that's just an advertising comment..." she muttered to herself, her tail twitching. "That last tournament..."  
  
She broke off with a shudder, remembering it.  
  
"Okay, so I'm Juri!" Juri began again, grinning and tossing the paper behind her. "And first up we've got Team Insect versus our special guest champions! Team Urameshi!"  
  
Yusuke sweatdropped.  
  
"This is starting to bring back not-so-fond memories..." he muttered as the crowd booed.  
  
Kurama nodded.  
  
"I have a feeling that this is going to take much of our time," he murmured. "Time that we don't have, if we want to catch up with those demons."  
  
Keiko shivered as the green demon pointed to the first row of seats near the stands that was unoccupied.  
  
"Will everyone who isn't fighting please take a seat over there?" he inquired, everyone looking around.  
  
"I'll fight as fifth," Genkai volunteered, raising her right hand. "The rest of you go sit down...and Koenma?"  
  
The brown-eyed teen looked down at the older woman.  
  
"Figure out some way to get us out of this," she finished gruffly.  
  
Koenma nodded nervously, walking over with the rest of the girls to the seats.  
  
"Uh-huh..." he muttered, racking his brains for some way to get his team out of this mess.  
  
The five members of the newly assembled Team Urameshi looked over at their opponents, a bunch of green-tinged demons, some with antennae and some with large wings, all of them grinning maliciously.  
  
"Well, ready?" Yusuke asked, clenching a fist in determination.  
  
The other four nodded.

* * *

** End of Chapter Four**  
  
_ REVIEW_  
  
Next chapter up (hopefully) sometime this weekend. 


	5. Chapter Five: The Battle Begins

**Chapter Five: The Battle Begins  
**  
Notes: Thanks for reviewing! And I must give credit to my younger brother, Sanga, for coming up with the original name and leader of Team Insect. XD

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Battle Begins**  
  
"Team Urameshi!" Juri declared, pointing at Yusuke before swirling around on her heel and facing the other team. "Team Insect! Present your first fighters!"  
  
Yusuke narrowed his eyes.  
  
"They all look like bugs," he muttered, scanning the group.  
  
Genkai sighed.  
  
"Well observed, dimwit," she grumbled. "We don't know any of these fighters, nor have we ever seen them fight, so our first choice must be prepared for anything."  
  
Kurama smiled, stepping forward, his red hair flowing behind him.  
  
"Allow me to go first, then," he said calmly, looking out at the arena, where a dark-green-skinned member of Team Insect had walked onto the arena. "I usually wait for my opponent's to reveal their own strategies before I attack with my own, anyway."  
  
Hiei folded his arms across his chest. Kurama's tactics always annoyed him. It seemed to him like it just gave the enemy time to finish him off before he'd even gotten started.  
  
Kurama noticed Hiei's irritated look and smiled, knowing what his friend was really thinking, however.  
  
"Don't worry, Hiei," he said with a grin, waving. "There will be plenty of other demons in this tournament for you to face."  
  
Hiei rolled his eyes as Yusuke grinned, giving a thumbs-up symbol to his friend.  
  
"Go get him, Kurama," Yusuke declared as Kurama leapt up onto the stage. "Kick his ass."  
  
"Don't let the bug bite!" Kuwabara added, Hiei rolling his eyes as he watched Kurama confront the first opponent.  
  
Juri smiled.  
  
"Okay then, the first fighters will be Centipede from Team Insect," she began, stepping away from the green and rather slimy-looking creature, who had just walked up, Juri looking rather revolted. "And Kurama of Team Urameshi."  
  
"Ready to die?" Centipede huffed in a rather low and raspy voice.  
  
His body was large and plump, making him appear to move rather slowly. He had two sets of short, stubbly arms that stuck out on either side of his body. His legs were also short, and he had two sets of them as well. Kurama narrowed his eyes, backing up slightly.  
  
"This will be an all out match until three victories are attained!" Juri declared, looking around. "Koto, who is located in the top box of the stands, will be doing the commentary for these exciting and..."  
  
Juri paused, looking down at her cue cards. Clearing her throat, she chose to omit the last phrase, "gruesome battles."  
  
"Let the match begin!" she declared, winking at the audience.  
  
From the sidelines, Koenma bit down on his blue pacifier, wondering what on earth he could do to get his team out of this mess. If this was anything like the Dark Tournament, it wasn't going to be an overnight, piece-of-cake type thing. And with all these draining battles wearing down his Spirit Detective and his team, they'd be no match for Most-Wanted Demons.  
  
"Botan," The ruler hissed into the blue-haired Grim Reaper's ear, leaning closer to her.  
  
Botan's purple eyes widened.  
  
"Yes?" she asked quietly, looking over at Koenma, his brown eyes narrowed in seriousness.  
  
"I need you to find a way out of this tournament room and back into the caves," Koenma muttered, looking around. "Someone's got to be figuring out which way those crooks went, and keep on their trail."  
  
Botan nodded slowly.   
  
"So you want me to find out where those baddies are, and then what?" she inquired as the crowd cheered all around them, the match between Kurama and Centipede about to begin.  
  
Koenma paused. Botan narrowed her eyes, wondering what it was Koenma had in mind for her to do.  
  
"What is it, Koenma?!" she cried, becoming more and more wary of the whole idea by the second.  
  
"I haven't thought that far ahead!" Koenma shouted back, squeezing his eyes shut. "Just go and find them, and then alert us somehow!"  
  
A large suddenly hurtled through the air and hit Koenma square in the head. The brown-haired ruler fell over, rubbing his head furiously.  
  
"Owww!" he cried, his head throbbing. "Who did that?!" he demanded furiously, acting more like a toddler than a good-looking teen, looking right and left at the other demons seated in the bleachers around them.  
  
"Dude in the front row!" Came an angry yelled from a demon seated five rows above them. "Shut it, will you? We can't hear the commentary!"  
  
"And sit down!" Another hollered, shaking an angry fist at the two, Koenma sitting down quickly, smiling apologetically. "You're blocking my view of the ref!"  
  
Botan sweatdropped as Keiko shivered, clutching Puu tightly.  
  
"Be careful, Yusuke," she thought to herself, her brown eyes narrowed in concern as Botan stood up and quickly slipped out of the bleachers.  
  
"Don't worry, Koenma," she thought to herself, clenching a fist in determination as she tiptoed down the aisle in between the bleachers and up to the exits. "I'll find those thugs."  
  
Kurama pulled a red rose out from behind his hair, his spirit energy causing it to light up and transform into a long, thorn-covered whip. Smiling, he lashed out with it, Centipede only barely stumbling out of the way.  
  
"Rose Whip!" Kurama declared, lashing out again, Centipede tripping over his own feet and falling to the arena floor, Juri hurrying out of the way of the whip's aim.  
  
"And the battle heats up right away as Kurama deals out several successive lashes with his trademark Rose Whip!" Koto, the fox-eared announced called from her box up in the stands, looking down at the battle as she clutched the microphone that rested on the table in front of her. "Centipede attempts to dodge, but his blubbery body has caused him to fall over! Squashed bug seems guaranteed!"  
  
From the sidelines, the tallest member of Team Insect, a pale-green colored demon with yellow antennae protruding from his head, narrowed his red eyes. A brown, large-winged demon leaned toward him, hissing.  
  
"That fool is as good as dead," he snarled, clenching all four of his tiny fists. "What kind of an asset was that, Ray?"  
  
Ray, the one with the yellow-antennae, smirked.  
  
"It's called a tactic, Wasp," he replied in a voice barely audible. "You'll see how it works. Kurama is an old and very skilled demon. Team Urameshi's wasting him on Centipede will prove to be a very harsh blow later on."  
  
Wasp raised an eyebrow as Kurama lashed out again with his Rose Whip, wrapping it all around the plump body of Centipede, digging into the insect's skin. Centipede's eyes bulged as Kurama snapped the whip, causing the green insect to rise into the air quickly, and then smash just as quickly down into the rock-solid arena floor.  
  
Kurama narrowed his emerald eyes, stepping back and recalling his whip. Juri's eyes widened as she stepped back a few more steps from the beaten bug.  
  
"Er...right," she mumbled, the audience booing and yelling, angry that the first demon to face the human's team put up such a pathetic fight. "Ten count. One! Two!"  
  
Yusuke grinned, clenching a fist in victory.  
  
"All right!" he cheered, punching his fist into the air happily. "That's our team, one point, and the Bug-Boys, zero!"  
  
Kuwabara grinned as well.  
  
"This is gonna be a piece of cake!" he declared boldly. "Worse than the Dark Tournament? As if! There're guys at school tougher than that."  
  
"And Kurama makes a smashing first victory for his team as Centipede is squashed like the bug he was," Koto declared, her eyes wide as she watched the arena from above. "Let's just hope the other members of Team Insect put up a bit more of a fight, or else the champions of the Dark Tournament might have another achievement to add to their list."  
  
Genkai huffed, looking out at the battlefield. Only she and Hiei seemed not to be pleased by their early success.  
  
"A trick," Hiei muttered, narrowing his amber eyes as Juri completed the ten count.  
  
"And that's ten!" Juri cried, her green fish-like ears twitching. "The winner of the first fight is Kurama!"  
  
Kurama smiled slightly before turning and walking back to the others who were waiting at the sideline. Leaping down from the arena, he approached the others.  
  
"That was sweet," Yusuke declared, his brown eyes wide and excited. "You finished him off in record timing!"  
  
"Not to mention you didn't even give him a chance to counter-attack!" Kuwabara added, grinning happily. "This team is going to be SUCH a pushover."  
  
"Don't get over-confident," Hiei muttered, narrowing his eyes at the next fighter, a small, brown-colored demon with a long proboscis protruding from his face in place of an actual mouth. "Using that weakling in the first round was just bait to get us to use up one of our stronger fighters."  
  
Genkai nodded, glaring out at the other members of Team Insect.  
  
"This kind of team shows no loyalty to their members," she muttered gruffly. "It's obvious they only recruited him for this purpose."  
  
Yusuke gulped, having not realized the team's true intentions earlier. Kuwabara said nothing.  
  
"Yes, it is rather unfortunate," Kurama murmured, turning around and facing the arena, his emerald eyes narrowed. "In this type of match, a fighter may only participate once, and then he must let his teammates take their turns fighting. I cannot fight again this match."  
  
Kuwabara grinned, the orange-haired boy stepping forward, punching a fist into the palm of his hand.  
  
"No problem," he declared boldly, smiling in determination. "This next bug is mine!"

* * *

End of Chapter Five  
  
Review please! And next chapter up soon, now that I'm back on schedule. Expect sooner updates on all my fics.


	6. Chapter Six: Reactions

**Chapter Six: Reactions**  
  
Pronunciations:   
  
** Kuaya** - _Koo-ah-yah_  
  
**Marok** - _Mah-rock_  
  
**Tetsui** - _Tet-su-ie_

* * *

**Chapter Six: Reactions**  
  
Kuwabara narrowed his eyes as he climbed up onto the arena to face his opponent, the brown, long-mouthed insect. Juri backed away from the brown member of Team Insect's beating wings, which were blowing her hair back.  
  
"Okay! It seems the next fight will be Kuwabara versus Mosquito!" she declared, holding her pink hair ribbon down firmly so it wouldn't be blown away. "Begin!"  
  
Mosquito grinned, crouching down and taking off into the air, leaving Kuwabara down on the ground alone, like an ant. Kuwabara gritted his teeth, putting his hands together and summoning his orange, spirit sword.  
  
"Spirit Sword!" he cried, waving it around a few times for good measure. "Okay, just cause you've got your little wings doesn't mean you can attack me whenever you like," he grinned, looking up at Mosquito. "I'VE got a dangerous weapon, so you'd better watch out."  
  
Mosquito smirked, shaking his head as he flexed his four arms.  
  
"So bring it on!" Kuwabara declared, pumping his free fist.  
  
"I see," Mosquito murmured, looking clearly amused by Kuwabara's attitude. "I never saw a human so happy to die."  
  
Kuwabara's smile instantly melted off his face as he glared up at Mosquito.  
  
"Say what, bug-boy?!" he growled, clenching a fist angrily.  
  
Mosquito flew around above him, in a clearly annoying way, a low hum emitting from his wings.  
  
"So ignorant," he mused, his proboscis bobbing up and down as he spoke.  
  
Kurama narrowed his eyes in frustration.  
  
"Mosquito is trying to lure Kuwabara into a rage so his defense will be down when he decides to strike," he murmured, clenching his fists at his side. "If Kuwabara doesn't figure this out, Mosquito's first blow could be the deciding one."  
  
Yusuke gulped, looking out at the arena.  
  
"Hey Kuwabara!" he yelled, cupping his mouth with his hands. "Just wait for the bug to come to you! Don't listen to what he's saying!"  
  
Kuwabara glared up at Mosquito, who still had a calm look of amusement on his face as his wings continued to beat behind him, keeping him suspended in the air.  
  
_His wings._  
  
"That's it!" Kuwabara thought to himself, looking up at the quickly beating wings that were moving behind Mosquito. "The only reason he's up there is because of those darn wings. If I get rid of them, then it turns into a fair ground battle!"  
  
Kuwabara smirked, his Spirit Sword disappearing.  
  
"All right, since you seem to be content in the air, I'll just not waste my precious energy keeping my Spirit Sword out while it isn't being used," he said smugly. "Just let me know when you want to start fighting for real."  
  
Hiei blinked.  
  
"Kuwabara you idiot!" Yusuke hollered, narrowing his brown eyes. "What the hell is that gonna do you?! Now you're not even protected!"  
  
"He's even more of a fool than I thought he was," Hiei muttered, rolling his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest.  
  
Mosquito laughed, his proboscis bobbing up and down.  
  
"You really are an imbecile," he chucked, narrowing his eyes. "But there's no reward for being foolish, except death!" he yelled, diving down into a spinning fall, proboscis aimed right for Kuwabara.  
  
"And Mosquito takes a nosedive toward the now defenseless Kuwabara!" Koto's voice rang out over the stadium. "I can hardly see the human's strategy behind this, but he's either got bug spray up his sleeve or he's about to become this bug's dinner!"  
  
"Kuwabara!!" Yusuke yelled, clenching his fists as Kuwabara's hand started to glow.  
  
"Oh no!" Yukina cried from the stands, the mint-haired ice apparition hiding her eyes. "I can't watch."  
  
Koenma shifted in his seat.  
  
"Don't lose it for us now, Kuwabara," he murmured, his pacifier bobbing up and down as his teeth chattered.  
  
"Gotcha now!" Kuwabara yelled, shooting out several miniatures of his spirit sword, aiming right for the rapidly beating wings above him.  
  
Kurama gasped, his eyes widening.  
  
"Of course!" he cried, his green eyes shining as Mosquito suddenly faltered, looking worried. "The only way to fight Mosquito head on was the take away his only advantage, which was, in this case, his wings!"  
  
Several orange, brightly lit daggers of Kuwabara's aura slashed through the frail wings of Mosquito, shredding them and causing the bug to spin wildly off-course as he neared the arena floor. Juri screamed, getting blown back by the wind caused from the collision.  
  
"Get out of the way!" Yusuke yelled, his brown eyes wide as he realized Mosquito was still falling right toward his friend, and that one, needle-like proboscis wasn't going to be a soft collision with the human.  
  
Kuwabara gulped, starting to back up, but tripping on a nick in the floor, falling to the ground with a crash. Mosquito gritted his teeth as his torn wings and the impact from the knives rose dust all around he and Kuwabara. With a sickening crash, Mosquito fell into Kuwabara beneath the thick cape of the dust, making it impossible to tell who had fallen into what.  
  
"This isn't good," Koenma muttered, grasping the armrest of his chair tightly, his brown eyes wide.  
  
Yusuke's eyes flashed back and forth, looking for some sign that Kuwabara had avoided being hit by Mosquito.  
  
"Damn it," he muttered in a whisper as Juri stood up, coughing.  
  
The crowd all around them murmured softly as the dust cleared, nothing visible just yet from the aftermath of the collision.  
  
"My goodness people!" Koto exclaimed, her cat ears standing up stiffly. "Kuwabara attacked Mosquito's wings, causing the insect to fly out of control down into the human fighter! Who will stand up from this collision is unknown as the thick dust begins to clear!"  
  
Keiko's eyes shone as she looked down at the arena, squinting to make out the two figures down below as she squeezed Puu slightly in her arms. Down on the sidelines, Ray smirked, the others members of Team Insect not looking worried in the slightest.  
  
"What an unfortunately wonderful turn of a events," hissed another brown-colored insect, smirking.  
  
Ray nodded, his eyes narrowed evilly.  
  
"Indeed," he murmured as Mosquito staggered out of the dust, his wings shredded and shriveled, no longer beating up and down but flapping uselessly behind him.  
  
The annoying insect licked his lips, his proboscis stained with...  
  
"Blood!" Yusuke cried, feeling his heart start to thud nervously in his chest. "He must have..."  
  
Genkai narrowed her eyes skeptically as another figure stumbled out of the clearing.  
  
"Don't get all wishy-washy just yet, dimwit," she muttered gruffly, pointing to the orange-haired boy as he panted, clutching a gash on his arm. "He's not dead yet."  
  
Keiko broke into a grin, shaking Yukina, who was still hiding her eyes beside her.  
  
"He's okay, Yukina!" she exclaimed brightly, the mint-haired girl sighing in relief as she looked out at the arena again, where both fighters, though injured, were still standing.   
  
"Oh thank goodness," she murmured, sighing.  
  
Shizuru narrowed her eyes, letting smoke rise from her cigarette that was in her hand, twisting around itself in the air in a complex maze. It looked like a minor cut, but why did it seem that Mosquito had just won himself a huge advantage?  
  
"I don't how to tell you this guys," The brown-haired young woman muttered, leaning forward slightly. "But I don't think this match is going to end predictably."  
  
Keiko tilted her head to the side, confused.  
  
"What do you mean, Shizuru?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Do you think that someone's already beaten the other?"  
  
Looking out at her younger brother on the arena, Shizuru nodded slowly.  
  
"Yeah, I do," she muttered, Yukina and Keiko exchanging surprised glances.

* * *

Kuaya leaned back on a rock, looking up at the bright light above him. The ceiling was shining with the radiance of the power that would soon be his. He could almost taste its vapors in the air. The power...the control...so close.  
  
"Kuaya," Marok muttered, walking into the room, narrowing his eyes. "We have a problem."  
  
Kuaya raised an eyebrow, pushing himself up into a sitting position, looking over at the green-skinned demon.  
  
"Tetsui having trouble digging? I told him to pace himself and not use all his energy in one assault," The dark haired man muttered, shaking his head in disgust. "Honestly, must I walk you two through everything holding your hands?"  
  
Marok huffed, looking rather fed-up with the leader of their escapade's attitude.  
  
"No, Tetsui's doing a fine job digging, although I doubt he'll be finished in five minutes," he snapped in return. "I've just received word from our look-out that the Spirit World sent a team of fighters down here to put a halt to our little power-dig."  
  
Kuaya raised an eyebrow, his blue eyes glinting in the light.  
  
"A team, huh?" he inquired, closing his eyes and turning his back to Marok, smiling softly to himself. "No doubt the Spirit Detective, the famous Yusuke Urameshi?"  
  
Marok nodded.  
  
"He and his team from the Dark Tournament have all come in search of us," he murmured. "Along with Koenma himself, it appears. But they've been somehow forced into the Demon's Rock Tournament held in this mountain, so I doubt they'll be pursuing us anytime soon."  
  
Kuaya chuckled.  
  
"I'm surprised at their courage," he murmured, amused as he looked up at the ceiling. "I wouldn't think that a mere human and a rag-tag team of rogue demons would think to defeat me, especially after we obtain the Hikari no Tsuki."  
  
"Should I go and...deal with them?" Marok asked, raising an eyebrow at his leader's calmness.  
  
Kuaya laughed grinning as he turned around and walked toward Marok.  
  
"No, there's no need for that," he chuckled. "After all," Kuaya mused, placing a hand on Marok's shoulder. "Should they even survive through a few rounds of the tournament to pursue us, all they will be doing is providing me with a bit of exercise, and a small entertainment before my grand awakening."

* * *

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke gasped, realizing how worried he'd been as he saw that his teammate was all right. "Damn it! Don't ever do that to me again!" he yelled, Kuwabara turning to face the black haired Spirit Detective, scratching at his injured arm slightly.  
  
"Well geez, Urameshi!" he yelled back, scratching at his other arm now. "I accomplished what I wanted to, didn't I? Next time try to read my plans!"  
  
Hiei huffed, not looking amused.  
  
"The fool has more luck than he does stupidity," he muttered, eying Kuwabara out of the corner of his amber eyes. "Had he been even six inches to the left he'd be dead."  
  
Kurama smiled, sighing as well, relieved that Kuwabara hadn't been directly below Mosquito.  
  
"Well, perhaps that has its advantages," he replied to the black-haired demon, Juri looking revolted as Mosquito licked up the rest of the blood left on his proboscis.  
  
"It seems both Kuwabara and Mosquito have both survived their encounters with each other, though they also seem worse for wear," Koto declared, eyeing the two fighters below. "While Mosquito's damaged wings don't look like they could support a house fly anymore, Kuwabara has a rather nasty gash on his arm, though he seems more interested in satisfying an itch on his other arm than in tending to his wound."  
  
Shizuru narrowed her eyes from the stands, looking confused, then she sighed, leaning back in her seat.  
  
"I know it was too good to be true," she muttered as Mosquito chuckled, Kuwabara now scratching furiously at both of his arms, ignoring the gash.  
  
"What the heck did you...do to me?!" Kuwabara cried, looking horrified as he tried to relieve the itch that was now spreading all over his skin.  
  
Yusuke raised an eyebrow, looking utterly confused.  
  
"What the hell are you doing Kuwabara?!" he yelled out to the boy. "Take a shower later, right now just...." He began, but Genkai cut him off.  
  
"This isn't good," she muttered. "Moquito's bite did more than just injure Kuwabara."  
  
Yusuke blinked as Mosquito burst out laughing and Kuwabara sank to his knees, scratching furiously.  
  
"Forget my name?" The brown-haired insect asked mockingly as he leaned closer to Kuwabara. "Or did you just forget my effects?"  
  
"Mosquito..." Kurama murmured, the fox-demon clenching a fist. "Of course. When bitten by a mosquito, the skin has an allergic reaction and produces an itching sensation."  
  
Mosquito laughed again, tossing his head back in amusement as Kuwabara continued to scratch at his skin.  
  
"Exactly!" he declared, having overheard Kurama's statement. "Except being a Mosquito demon, my powers are amplified, making the itching sensation produced from _my_ bites MUCH more intolerable!"  
  
Juri stared down at the twitching Kuwabara, who was now down on the ground, feeling horribly embarrassed as he continued to scratch.  
  
"Well, it seems Kuwabara is unable to continue battle," The green-eared referee muttered, looking a little disgusted. "Mosquito is the winner!" she yelled, the crowd cheering happily at the demon team's first point of the match.

* * *

End of Chapter Six  
  
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	7. Chapter Seven: Into the Wasp's Nest

**Chapter Seven: In the Wasp's Nest**  
  
Yusuke looked stunned as Kuwabara lifted himself off the ground and stumbled back over to the others on the sideline, still scratching like crazy. Hiei narrowed his eyes at Mosquito, who was smirking as the crowd cheered for the Team Insect's first victory.  
  
"That wasn't fair!" Keiko shouted, looking over at Shizuru, her brown eyes wide. "How could they just disqualify him like that?! And that was really underhanded of the Mosquito guy to do that!"  
  
Shizuru sighed, lighting a cigarette with her black lighter, tucking the lighter into her pocket afterwards.  
  
"It's the way these demon tournaments go," she muttered, a snake-like stream of smoke rising into the air as she took a deep breath. "And I guess you can't call using your abilities to help you, "underhanded." I don't like it anymore than you do, kid, but there's nothing we can do about it."  
  
Keiko sighed, giving Puu another squeeze as she looked back out at the arena, where Juri seemed to be trying to quite the crowd down.  
  
"I guess so," she murmured.

* * *

Botan sighed, looking around the damp caves, water dripping off the ceilings and onto her face.  
  
"Egh, why couldn't Koenma have given me a cleaner job?" she muttered in disgust, brushing a cobweb away. "Besides, what am I supposed to do if I even find these demons? It's not like I brought any of Yusuke's detective tools with me or anything."  
  
Stumbling forward, Botan narrowed her lavender eyes, a strange humming sound reaching her ears. It was so loud and so forceful from wherever the source was, it was causing the whole cave to vibrate, bits of lose stone falling from the ceiling and smashing into hundreds of pieces on the floor.  
  
"What is that?" she cried in a whisper, gulping.

* * *

"All right!" Juri declared in her perky voice, smiling out at the audience. "Mosquito takes the point for the last battle leaving the score at one to one!"  
  
Koto scratched her ear, blinking.  
  
"Well that's one way to end a fight, though I'd have preferred something a little more gory," The fox-eared announcer declared through the microphone. "But oh well, the third round of the Team Insect versus Team Urameshi should get good! Well, it better or else I'm not going to be able to take this suspense!"  
  
Juri smiled as the crowd cheered and jeered, all of their shouts unifying to create a horrible yell.  
  
"If you'll please quiet down, we can get the next fight started," Juri said in a coaxing voice, hoping that the demons in the crowd would listen. "Now, each team, please send forward the next fighter!"  
  
Yusuke clenched his fists.  
  
"This sucks," he growled, looking out at Team Insect. "Stupid losers think they can beat us with an itch?!"  
  
Kuwabara turned red, still scratching.  
  
"It's not my fault!" he retorted angrily. "I was trying to clip his stupid wings."  
  
Genkai shook her head as the other brown insect, much larger than Mosquito had been, flew up onto the arena, Juri scurrying away, having seen enough of Team Insect's powers to know that she didn't want to be bitten, cut, or stung by any of them.  
  
"Forget the last round," she muttered gruffly. "But we need to finish these fights...and fast. The demons after the Hikari no Tsuki aren't going to wait for us to catch up before they claim their prize. Just make sure you don't lose."  
  
Hiei smirked, walking up to the arena.  
  
"I don't think you need to worry about that," he declared, seemingly disappearing in a flash of black light and reappearing on the stone arena, facing the next insect.  
  
Juri, looking a little afraid of both the fighters now, backed away to the edge of the arena, raising the microphone to her mouth.  
  
"Okay!" she laughed nervously, sweating. "Now we've got Wasp of Team Insect against Hiei of Team Urameshi. Begin...but please don't blow up half the stadium this time, okay?"  
  
Hiei narrowed his eyes, pulling off his black cloak and tossing it aside as Wasp took to the air above him, grinning down at him, his larger wings beating at a faster rate than Mosquito's did and pulsing more air around.  
  
"I'll do what's necessary," he muttered, pulling his katana out of its sheath.  
  
Ray smirked from the sidelines, his thin arms folded over his chest.  
  
"This should be good," he muttered, grinning.  
  
Moquito nodded, his proboscis quivering.  
  
"Pity I couldn't have finished off that human," he murmured, eyeing Kuwabara. "He would have made such a delicious meal."  
  
Ray looked unconcerned however, as he watched the fight begin.  
  
"Don't get bitten!" Yusuke yelled, clenching a fist as Hiei stared up at Wasp, waiting for him to make a move. "Or stung! Or do anything stupid!"  
  
Kuwabara gritted his teeth, punching Yusuke in the face.  
  
"Watch it!" he growled warningly, Genkai looking completely un-amused.  
  
"Boys," she muttered, rolling her eyes.  
  
Kurama smiled slightly, but his smile faded as Wasp dove into a spinning fall toward Hiei, who easily dodged, smirking.  
  
"You're going to have to be a lot faster than that to catch up to me," he called, grinning.  
  
Wasp chuckled, his voice deep and low, as he hovered above the arena.  
  
"Well then, I guess you're as fast as they say you are," The brown-haired insect murmured, his body glowing a rather unpleasant shade of yellow. "Then I guess I'll have to use this instead..."  
  
Hiei raised an eyebrow as a mist of yellow sparkling particles began to shower down on the arena, sizzling as they touched the stone floor. Juri screamed, pulling out an umbrella from the side of the arena and hurriedly opening it.  
  
"Give a warning next time!" she yelled nervously, feeling even more insecure about being in the middle of two dangerous demons' fight.  
  
"And Wasp aims a misguided attack at Hiei, who promptly dodges, but then Wasp turns around and starts giving the arena a wash down in...yellow glittering raindrops?" Koto muttered, squinting to see what was going on below.  
  
The glittering yellow drops fell down onto the arena floors, burning and sizzling as they melted away the rock with their acidic properties. A black blur whirled around the arena, making it difficult to pinpoint Hiei's location.  
  
"Where's Hiei now?" Yusuke demanded, looking around in both directions, his eyes starting to hurt from the strain. "It's not a good idea to stand around and soak up the acid rain!"  
  
Kurama narrowed his eyes, trying to track his friend's movements as Juri screamed horribly and jumped off the side, taking refuge under a fallen rock, her headband and clothes singed.  
  
"I know," he agreed, gritting his teeth. "But the entire arena has been coated in the poisonous acid. There's nowhere left for Hiei to go now, and Wasp doesn't need to worry about a thing since he's airborne."  
  
"Oh my gosh," Keiko whispered, her eyes wide as she hugged Puu tightly, the little Spirit Beast's eyes bulging slightly. "I wouldn't even want to step on that stuff."  
  
Shizuru exhaled, smoke rising into the air as she narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Unless you want your feet burned off," she muttered in agreement. "But something tells me that Hiei's not giving up just yet."  
  
Koenma's eyes bulged as well as he glared down at the arena.  
  
"He'd BETTER not be giving up!" he muttered, his teeth chattering.  
  
Wasp smirked, ceasing to spray the arena with the poisoned acid and now smirking as the remnants cleared from the air, eager to catch sight of his victim's suffering as he would be slowly burnt by the acid.  
  
"What's this?" Wasp cried, his eyes widening as he spotted the black-haired fire apparition, standing down on the edge of the arena, a small circle around him not damaged by the acidic rain, while the rest of the arena was slick with yellow poison. "How did you avoid being burned by my poison rain?!"  
  
Hiei smirked, a purple aura surrounding him, the white headband that had been tied around his forehead no longer there, revealing a purple, glowing eye in the middle of his forehead.  
  
"Fire easily burns away your acidic rain," he explained, narrowing his two normal eyes in satisfaction. "It's not much of a problem for me at all. However, your coating the entire arena in that acid of yours will be your downfall!"  
  
Hiei leapt into the air, drawing his sword as the crowd gasped. Wasp darted out of the way, but the fire apparition appeared behind him, one hand clutching his katana, and the only engulfed in a flame.  
  
"Ha!" The black-haired demon cried, punching down at Wasp, hitting him square in the chest and sending him rocketing downwards toward the arena.  
  
Hiei leapt over to the outside of the arena and watched as Wasp, engulfed in flames, crashed into the acid-covered arena, a hissing sound emitting from the stage as the acid burnt away at its master's skin.  
  
"And...whoa," Koto muttered, her green-eyes wide as she stared down at the scorching mess below. "Whoa, Hiei has just sent Wasp down into his own acid, where he has been incinerated! Whether from the fire apparition's flames, or from his own acid, who knows...and who cares? It was a beautiful sight to behold!"  
  
Juri peeked her head over the top of the arena, all of which had now caught fire and was burning away the acidic muck.  
  
"Okay...going by official rules," she murmured, looking quite shaken up as she got to her feet, brushing herself off. "Wasp went down at the same time Hiei hit the outside of the ring. And that was like...five counts ago. So, if Hiei's not back in the arena by the count of ten, both players will forfeit the match!"  
  
Kuwabara's eyes widened.  
  
"Now that's not fair!" he yelled, jabbing a finger at the arena. "The whole thing's in flames! He can't go walk into it like it's some kind of swimming pool you dunce!"  
  
Juri backed up, sweating and waving her hands defensively.  
  
"It's the rules! Now six! Seven!"  
  
Yusuke clenched a fist.  
  
"Now what?!" he growled angrily, shaking in fury.  
  
"Fine then," Hiei shrugged, not looking troubled by this new request.  
  
Kurama sighed as Hiei suddenly vanished in a black blur. Genkai raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Wha...?" Yusuke trailed off, looking shocked. "He didn't actually go back IN the arena, did he?!" he cried, looking at the others. "I know he's got a hell of a pride, but that's going a LITTLE too far!"  
  
Genkai smirked.  
  
"No, it isn't, dimwit," she grinned, looking through the dying flames.  
  
Kurama smiled, sighing.  
  
"Yes, if you recall," he explained facing the others as the fires died down completely and Hiei was visible on the other side, standing safely and unharmed on the edge of the arena. "Only the acid caught fire, and Hiei had left one patch, just big enough to stand on, of the arena untouched by the acid, due to his flames during the original rain."  
  
Yusuke blinked, it slowly sinking in.  
  
"Oh yeah!" he cried, smirking. "All right Hiei!"  
  
Genkai rolled her eyes as Hiei merely looked satisfied as Juri waved her hand down, calling the final count.  
  
"And ten! Hiei is the winner!" she declared, the crowd cheering (though mostly in rage that the human team had come off with another point) and Keiko sighing in relief.  
  
"These fights are too tense..." she muttered, smiling slightly.  
  
"Let's just be glad it was Hiei fighting out there and NOT you, dimwit," Genkai muttered gruffly, Yusuke glaring down at her. "You'd have probably jumped into the fire after losing your head under the pressure."  
  
Kuwabara burst out laughing as Yusuke folded his arms across his chest in irritation.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, grandma," he muttered as Hiei leapt off the arena and walked over to join the rest of his team.

* * *

End of Chapter 7  
  
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	8. Chapter Eight: Rays of Death

**Chapter Eight: Rays of Death**  
  
Yusuke grinned, giving a thumbs-up to Hiei, who leapt down from the stone arena and back onto the sideline where the rest of Team Urameshi was.  
  
"Nice work, Hiei," The black-haired Spirit Detective declared, grinning. "Now just one more insect bastard to deal with and then we're out of here!"  
  
Hiei rolled his eyes, turning to face the arena once more, watching the flames flicker and roar.  
  
"Don't get cocky," he said seriously, raising an eyebrow at the arena, Juri talking to some janitor demon who was holding a slimy mop in his hands a few feet away.  
  
Kurama nodded, facing Yusuke and Genkai.  
  
"Yes, these insects aren't anything to take lightly, especially now that their leader will most likely take this last match," he murmured, unable to see past the roaring flames that coated the arena as the acid from Wasp's attacks continued to burn and crackle. "You must be very careful with this one, Yusuke."  
  
Yusuke narrowed his eyes as a large hose was brought in and began to spray down the field. There was a crackle of the loudspeaker and Koto's voice rang out over the stadium once more.  
  
"And an astonishing finish by Hiei, although I'm happy to say our stadium is still in tact," she declared, her cat ears twitching with excitement. "And if you will be patient while we hose down the arena, we can get started with the next matches in just a few moments."  
  
Juri smiled at the audience, who immediately began booing and tossing things down at the referee and the janitor.  
  
"The sooner you cooperate, the sooner we get the next delightful battle going!" Juri cried, sweat dripping down her face as her tail stood straight up behind her like a pitchfork.

* * *

Botan crept toward the edge the cavern, where bits of dust and rock were falling down from the ceiling, showering upon her and the ground like hailstones in the midst of a thunderstorm.  
  
Slowly, she peeped into a more brightly lit room, where a purple-skinned demon was steadily working away at the wall with what looked like several brightly lit daggers, electric green in color, that were eroding the wall. A loud noise erupted whenever the green, glowing knives came into contact with the rock, and the collision had the whole room shaking.  
  
"Well, this looks like one of our demons," Botan thought to herself, her purple eyes wide as she watched him work. "But where are his accomplices?"  
  
She scanned the room, which was quickly filling with bits of pebble and stone from the ceilings. Irritated, she cringed, holding a hand to her head.  
  
"I can't think with all this racket!" she thought to herself, feeling her whole body shake. "But it's obvious that his partners aren't nearby. I'll just got back to Koenma and let him know we've found them..."  
  
Stepping backward, Botan's foot fell down into a crack caused by the shaking of the caves, and stumbled backwards, falling into the wall with a thump.  
  
"Aack!" she cried, wincing as she hit the wall with her back, and then gulping, clamping both hands tightly over her mouth.  
  
Eyes wide, she watched the demon, who stopped drilling at the wall, the green knives that had been in his hands disappearing. Botan trembled slightly, not knowing whether to run, or to stay still and hope he didn't hear her.  
  
"How could he have heard me over all that noise he was making?" she thought to herself hopefully, although it was a vain thought as he turned around, his red eyes locking onto her, his mouth twisting up into a smirk.  
  
"Well, well, well," he grinned, stepping toward her. "One of Spirit World's lackeys no doubt. Didn't know they even had women doing their dirty work."  
  
Botan narrowed her eyes, turning on her heel and sprinting away from the room, only to stop short as several green, glowing daggers soared by her face, causing her to freeze.  
  
Several more shot by her side, one grazing her arm. Crying out in pain, she sank to her knees, clutching her arm, which was trickling blood onto her blue shirt.  
  
"Ow..." she muttered, biting her lip as she turned around, looking up at the demon, who was now standing over her. "Why couldn't Koenma have been the one to go fishing around down here...?" she thought to herself, her eyes watering a bit from the cut.  
  
"Looks like your demon-slaying days are over," The purple-skinned demon said evilly with a smirk, reaching his clawed hands down at Botan.

* * *

There was a loud buzz that rang out over the stadium as smoke rose from the now charcoaled, but still standing, arena. Juri put one foot on the arena first to make sure it wasn't still boiling, and then leapt back into the middle of the burnt and rather brittle stone floor.  
  
"All right!" she called out in her forced-cheerful voice, smiling nervously, fearing Team Urameshi and their destructive powers once again. "Thank you for your patience!"  
  
There was another round of booing and shouting from the audience, during which time Juri sighed, moving out of the way of a bag of popcorn that had been chucked down at her.  
  
Koenma sighed, his brown eyes starting to look slightly bloodshot.  
  
"I can't take this kind of suspense," he muttered edgily, shifting around in his seat. "And where's Botan? Why hasn't she reported back in yet?"  
  
Shizuru narrowed her eyes, cringing slightly. Keiko tilted her head to the side, glancing up at the older girl.  
  
"Is...something wrong, Shizuru?" she asked curiously, wondering if she'd just gotten another bad premonition.  
  
Shizuru narrowed her eyes further, clutching her cigarette.  
  
"I don't know," she muttered softly, looking down at the arena below. "I just got this feeling that the enemy is making himself known somehow. I can't explain how, but I've got a nasty feeling that it isn't good."  
  
Koenma swallowed, feeling even more anxious.  
  
"That means that Botan is in trouble," he muttered, looking down at the floor angrily.  
  
Yukina's eyes widened, looking nervously over at the other two girls.  
  
"Should we go see where she is, in case she needs our help?" she asked, looking over at the three.  
  
Shizuru sighed, closing her eyes and not replying. Koenma stood up, looking rather edgy.  
  
"I'll go see if I can find her," he said, looking down at the other three. "You stay here and cheer on the guys, and Genkai. Besides, Hiei'd kill us if something happened to you."  
  
Yukina blinked, her amber eyes full of confusion.  
  
"Why would...Hiei be angry if something happened to me?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.  
  
Koenma sweatdropped, immediately realizing his slip up.  
  
"I...I...mean that Kuwabara and the team would be angry if we let the girls go off and get hurt!" he corrected himself, waving his hands in front of him in a defensive manner. "You know how they all feel about you guys. You're kind of like...sisters...and...ACK!"  
  
Koenma gritted his teeth, realizing he'd just slipped up yet again.  
  
"I'll just shut up now and go see if Botan needs my help!" he finished boldly, sprinting off up the stairs, his blue cape flapping behind him.  
  
Shizuru sighed, looking down at the arena, where Juri was waving her arms, trying to call out the next two fighters. Yusuke and Ray, the leader of Team Insect, had both climbed onto the stone arena and were now walking toward each other.  
  
"What was that all about?" Yukina muttered to herself, blinking after Koenma before turning to look down at the arena below again. "Kazuma still seems to be having trouble with that bite," she observed, Keiko turning slightly to see the orange-haired boy trying to stop scratching his raw arm.  
  
Shizuru shrugged.  
  
"Better not risk going down there right now, sweetheart," she muttered, putting out her cigarette. "The crowd looks pretty anxious."  
  
Down below, Yusuke cracked his knuckles, grinning at Ray, who seemed to not be bothered by the human Spirit Detective's high reputation, or his team's success to far.  
  
"And the fourth match, Yusuke versus Ray will now begin!" Juri declared, swinging her arm down in front of her, signaling the match to begin.  
  
"Well now, human," Ray murmured, smiling as he stretched his pale green fingers out. "It seems you're team has been rather successful, haven't they?"  
  
Yusuke smirked, waving his hand casually in front of him.  
  
"Enough chatter already," he said cockily, making a fist. "I don't have time to waste on demons like you."  
  
Ray's eye twitched as he lunged forward, his eyes glowing as his fingers suddenly transformed into dangerous-looking knives, similar to Wasp's stinger.  
  
"So be it!" he snapped, slashing forward at Yusuke. "Your death will be quicker than expected, human scum!"  
  
Yusuke ducked, rolling out of the way and popping back up on his feet behind the insect.  
  
"Yo, over here," he smirked, his fist glowing as he punched forward. "Lights out, boys!"  
  
There was a sickening thud as Yusuke's fist collided with Ray's head, sending the flimsy insect stumbling backward, still on his feet. The crowd muttered their reactions on this latest move, Koto grinning from her box seat as she gripped the microphone in excitement.  
  
"And things start of quickly as Ray attempts to cut Yusuke down with his dagger-like fingers, but the human easily dodges and delivers a head-splitting punch at Ray!" she declared over the noisy crowd, her ears twitching. "That's GOTTA be a major headache in the works!"  
  
Keiko let out a deep breath as Yusuke shook out his fist slightly, Ray stumbling back to his feet.  
  
"I guess I don't have much to worry about after all," she murmured, smiling slightly.  
  
"What, that's all you got?" Yusuke asked, still acting sure of himself as Ray, narrowed his eyes, the knives in his fingers growing longer.  
  
"As if!" he declared, dashing forward again, this time more quickly, cutting Yusuke lightly across the chest as the black-haired boy attempted to dodge.  
  
Genkai narrowed her eyes as she watched from the sidelines.  
  
"If that boy would just concentrate and get the work done rather than trying to have a good time, that insect would already be dead," she snapped, folding her arms across her chest. "Stop messing around, dimwit!"  
  
Yusuke glared over at her, shaking a fist.  
  
"Just leave me alone, grandma!" he yelled back, ducking another attack from Ray.  
  
"And it's all-out attacks from Ray as the Spirit Detective turns to the defensive!" Koto declared, now standing up in her seat, too into the fights to sit still.  
  
Juri ducked down on the ground, narrowly avoiding being stung herself as Yusuke continued to dodge the assaults.  
  
"You heard Genkai, just finish this loser off, Urameshi!" Kuwabara yelled, scratching at his left arm now.  
  
Hiei merely stared forward, watching the battle with no commentary, Kurama biting his lip beside him.  
  
"Perhaps Ray is another one not to be underestimated," he murmured wisely as Yusuke flipped in midair and only barely managed to land on his feet a few inches away from Ray.  
  
Yusuke gritted his teeth in anger, putting his hands together, a blue light emitting from his index finger.  
  
"I know what to do, already!!" he yelled, a beam of bright blue energy exploding from his fingertip, aimed right at Ray, who, being so close, couldn't avoid direct contact with the attack. "SPIRIT GUN!"  
  
The whole stadium filled briefly with the blue light and then suddenly, all was quiet as all that was left of Ray was a sizzling, browned heap on the arena floor. Yusuke lowered his finger, panting.  
  
"See?" he muttered as the crowd began to boo their disgust at the Team Insect's loss, Koto dropping her microphone up in the box.  
  
"And that was the most anti-climactic ending I've ever seen!" she declared, looking utterly disappointed. "Yusuke aimed a sudden Spirit Gun at Ray, who was unable to dodge, and as a result, was burnt to a crisp, giving Team Urameshi the point they need to move on to the next round!"  
  
Juri raised her hand at Yusuke, forcing another smile.  
  
"The winner of the match and of this round, Team Urameshi!" she declared, Yusuke giving a thumbs-up to the rest of his team.  
  
"See? I told you I wouldn't screw things up," he declared, walking over to the edge and hopping off.  
  
Genkai rolled her eyes.  
  
"Whatever you say, dimwit," she muttered, her eyes wandering up to where the girls and Koenma had been sitting in the stands.

* * *

** End of Chapter Eight**  
  
**REVIEW**. And next chapter up soon! 


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